The present invention relates to lighting. More particularly, the present invention relates to lighting fixtures. Most particularly, the present invention relates to a low voltage, lighting fixture having an indirect light source mounted within a housing and forming a part of the lighting fixture.
Indirect lighting is known in the lighting industry. In one form, such indirect lighting usually involves a source of light mounted below a ceiling, being aimed at the ceiling and being diffusely reflected by the ceiling. Indirect lighting of walls and displays are also known, in which a light source mounted some distance from the wall or display is aimed so as to diffusely reflect light on to the wall or display.
In another form of indirect lighting, it has been known that light can be bounced off of reflectors in a manner that light is redistributed out of a housing and off of a reflector into a space. Both methods typically depend upon high light energy sources to provide sufficient usable light.
Because generally the light from an indirect source is white light, or full spectrum light wherein the color rendering is pleasant, most, if not all, indirect source luminaries have used incandescent, high intensity discharge, such as metal halide or fluorescent.
This invention teaches the practice of illuminating a housing for the purpose of creating an effect. That is that the housing or internal reflector is meant to absorb color as well as “white” light in a manner that only illuminates the housing or internal parts of the fixture. For this purpose, low energy LED light sources, configured with red, blue and green LED's can provide white and a full spectrum of colors in a manner that uses extremely low electric energy, but provides the effect of indirect light emission without filling the room with colored light.
This technique can utilize a number of control devices to mix any desired color. It can include an electronic or digital means of control that is connected to a music or video source, or any other source of visible or audible nature, trigger upon door opening, occupancy sensors and the like. This technique has the potential of engaging the fixture housing as colorful addition to a room interior without changing the color of the room.
When used in conjunction with a direct light source, such as a low voltage rail, the effect is unique in that the fixture housing becomes a colorful backdrop for the rail and lamp sources. This technique eliminates the need for color filters either of a subtractive or additive nature, and can also provide varied effects in an adjustable version either attached to the low voltage rail or utilized by itself in an adjustable fashion.
There is also known in the lighting industry a growing demand for smaller and more flexible light fixtures. There is also an increasing demand for lighting fixtures to be concealed or semi-concealed. However, the necessity, until the present invention, of surface mounting indirect lighting fixtures conflicted with the desire to have smaller, more flexible lighting fixtures. Thus, a search for smaller, more flexible, indirect lighting fixtures has continued in the art.